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One day, Frank was
admitted to his local hospital with breathing difficulties. To properly
diagnose and treat his condition, Frank's doctor ordered a routine series of
treatments, tests and medication.
After a few days in the hospital, Frank's recovery had progressed steadily,
but he still wasn't strong enough to return home. Arrangements were made to
admit him to a skilled nursing facility for continued care and
convalescence.
One of the medications the doctor prescribed for Frank was Bumex, which is
typically used to treat respiratory problems such as those experienced by
Frank. The doctor ordered Bumex one time, every other day. That is exactly
what was written in his medical chart:
"Bumex, 1 tablet, QOD" (QOD is
the Latin abbreviation to indicate "every other day").
When Frank was transferred to the skilled nursing facility, a copy of his
doctor's orders accompanied him. These orders were typed and placed in an
envelope. When Frank arrived at the facility, the nurses on duty opened the
envelope and noticed that Frank was taking Bumex, 1 tablet, QID. Remember,
Frank's doctor had ordered Bumex, 1 tablet, QOD. In the transcription
of the orders, someone accidentally typed "QID." What's the big deal, you
might ask?
In medical language, QID means four times a day. So at the skilled nursing
facility, instead of receiving this extremely powerful medication every
other day, he was being given eight times the ordered dosage. Within
a week, Frank had died.
Frank's story is an example of a tragic but avoidable situation. To prevent
these types of scenarios, we must take an active role in our own health
care, especially when dealing with medications. Our health care system
demands that we comply with strict and often confusing instructions about
medications. Without an organized system in place, unforeseen medication
errors can happen.
It is estimated that misuse of outpatient prescription drugs costs more than
$85 billion each year. Almost 30% of all hospital admissions involve misuse
of outpatient medications. With these staggering facts in mind, it is vital
to carefully review your medication with your physician during each office
visit, using a standard list of
questions to help you understand the need for medication, as well as
its proper use.
Take a list of your medications (including non-prescription or
over-the-counter medication) to all your doctor appointments. This list is
especially important if you are seeing more than one physician. Your
physicians need to know specifically what medications you are taking, as
well as the reason for taking them.
To provide an additional layer of safety, share your medication list with
your pharmacist. It is estimated that pharmacists may prevent more than
100,000 deaths from misuse of prescription drugs and over-the-counter
medications and save billions of dollars if they cold review prescriptions
and offer counseling to patients. As an active medical consumer, insist on
up-to-date information from your physician and pharmacist to ensure your
well being and safety.
Finally, be sure to tell you friends and family that you love them at least
"QD" (Latin for once a day). |
